PETITION FOR A COLLECTOR'S EDITION SOUNDTRACK OF THEME SONGS INSPIRED BY JUDAY-PIOLO SOAPS AND MOVIES (with scenes from their tv/film projects and special messages dedicated to their fans)...PARANG AWA NA NINYO STAR RECORDS

SA PILING MO:
Ikaw Lamang (solo of PJ and duet of Jud/PJ)
Dahil Ikaw (solo of PJ and duet of Jud/PJ)
Without You (solo of PJ - live version from the soap)
Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan? (solo of PJ - live version from the soap)

DON'T GIVE UP ON US:
Don't Give Up On Us (duet of Jud/PJ)
Together Forever (duet of Jud/PJ)
Here Tonight (Darryl Shy)

“SA PILING MO,” ABS-CBN’S NEW soap opera starring Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual, has a lovely vibe that sets it apart from other soaps on prime time television. The show makes full use of the onscreen chemistry between the two leads, who continue to shine though their love team is several years old—they’re virtual senior citizen in this age of instant stars. Not only that, it’s a “manufactured” love team, one that ceases to exist when cameras aren’t rolling.

In spite of this, fans can’t seem to get enough of the “Piolo-Juday” pair, as the show’s impressive ratings show. The story of “Sa Piling Mo” (With You By My Side) cleverly exploits Judy Ann’s martyr-for-love persona, and Piolo’s puppy-like, kawawa appeal. She’s Jennifer, a spunky girl who helps people place bets at cockfights in the rural town of San Dionisio in the late 1990s. He’s Adrian, a blind singer who serenades customers in a barrio restaurant. He and Jennifer have been friends since childhood and have recently declared their love for one another.

Adrian needs three hundred thousand pesos for an eye operation in Manila. If he doesn’t go under the knife soon, he will be blind forever. Jennifer must find a way to raise the money even though Adrian has forbidden her from ever going to another cockfight.

Yes, of course, there’s nothing original about the characters and their predicament. You get the feeling you’ve seen it all before in a Viva komiks melodrama from the ’80s, or even from another ABS-CBN teleserye. And Piolo Pascual as a folk singer? Didn’t he just play one in last January’s blockbuster movie “Don’t Give Up On Us,” which also teamed him up with Judy Ann Santos?

Juday has never looked more radiant than in “Sa Piling Mo,” but she simply doesn’t look like a barrio lass. Piolo is as handsome as ever, but he isn’t completely convincing as a blind person. And yet, when their characters profess their love for one another and (gasp!) make love in a scene that pushes the boundaries of the MTRCB’s PG rating, the scene sizzles and crackles with the flame of a passionate, idealized love.

So far, the show’s best scenes are those that present the young couple as being naively optimistic about their future together. The scene where Piolo rehearses his marriage proposal to Juday, not knowing that she can hear him, was quite moving. His line, “Hindi ka nakikita ng mga mata ko, pero nakikita ka ng puso ko,” (I can see you through my heart) is an eloquent, economical summary of the show’s theme, and its characters’ sad but challenging plight. It may seem cheesy on paper, but Piolo’s delivery of the line and Judy Ann’s pitch-perfect reaction make it work wonderfully.

It’s too early to tell if “Sa Piling Mo” will become like just another soap populated by caricatures instead of characters, especially when the other actors, like Albert Martinez and Rica Peralejo, make their appearances. For now, all one can do is be as optimistic about the show’s future as Jennifer and Adrian are about their love life. At this point, all that can be really said about “Sa Piling Mo” is that it’s off to a very good start.

ABS-CBN has scored a primetime winner in its new soap, "Sa Piling Mo," which stars the box-office tandem of Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual.

"Sa Piling Mo" marks a TV homecoming for Juday and Piolo. Audiences first saw the magic of the Juday-Piolo loveteam through the teleseryes "Esperanza" and "Sa Puso Ko Iingatan Ka." The loveteam also churned out five hit movies: "Esperanza: The Movie," "Kahit Isang Saglit," "Bakit ‘Di Totohanin," "‘Til There Was You" and the most recent hit, "Don’t Give Up On Us."

A more mature scenario awaits fans tuning in to Sa Piling Mo, which is the first teleserye for Judy Ann and Piolo in three years. In the show, which also stars Rica Peralejo and Albert Martinez, Juday and Piolo play Jennifer and Adrian, two lovers who are separated by a cruel twist of fate. Jennifer (Judy Ann Santos) grew up with Adrian (Piolo), who has been blind from childhood. Despite his handicap, he is full of life – something readily apparent when he shows his talent for singing. It isn’t long before they fall in love.

They may have proved that they could very well stand on their own, but the clamor for a re-teaming was just too hard for Star Cinema to resist. And besides, Piolo and Judy have missed each other as much as their supporters have had enough of sitting through cable reruns of their past movies.

Piolo echoes Juday’s sentiments: ‘Working with Juday is always a welcome experience.” His pronunciation of Juday’s nickname is rather endearing to hear: Ju-day with the stress on the first syllable. “We’re comfortable with each other. Kilala na naming ang isa’t isa. Kaya itong movie hindi lang trabaho kundi good time.”

Only last night, Piolo recalls, Juday prepared a feast in the rented place in Sagada where they stayed in with the whole production team. Proof positive of Juday’s being a “chef-at-heart.” Piolo shares, “Mahilig talaga siyang magluto sa set. I remember yung last scene sa Batangas ng Till There Was You, she cooked posit, mga seafood, my favorites. Sarap!”

Don’t Give Up On Us is not so much a test of the Juday-Piolo box-office charisma but more a celebration of the magic of their pairing. “It’s a feel-good movie,” Juday says. “Dahil na rin sa lagay ng ekonomiya natin ngayon, we feel that the people deserve a break from all the hardships. We want them to have a good cry with us, laugh with us, even laugh at us.”

On primetime, they are back as childhood sweethearts in Sa Piling Mo. Piolo tries to explain what makes their loveteam tick: “I think it’s the mystery, the love and respect we have for each other. We never gave away what the public wanted. It’s always there, hanging inmid-air. (And) we intend to keep it that way.”

A TANDEM CREATED BY THE FANS NOT MANUFACTURED BY ANY MANAGER OR ANY NETWORK

Magic. It’s the ingredient at work in the Piolo Pascual-Judy Ann Santos loveteam, arguably one of the most successful tandems of their generation. The two first met in 1999 in the soap opera Esperanza wherein Piolo played the bad guy and Judy Ann, its oppressed but good-hearted heroine. They weren’t paired onscreen, but the fans apparently sensed something. ABS-CBN, seeing the groundswell of support for the two of them, gave in to the fans’ requests and extended Piolo’s stay in the series.

THE REMARKABLE BIRTH OF AN UNBEATABLE BOX-OFFICE LOVETEAM DESPITE A PARALYZING FILM INDUSTRY SLUMP

But even that wasn’t enough. The fans liked the Piolo-Judy Ann team-up so much that they begged to see more of them. ABS-CBN, realizing the loveteam’s potential, cast them together in several projects, including the pilot and final episodes of JUDY ANN DRAMA SPECIAL, a MAALAALA MO KAYA episode, and the Star Cinema movies KAHIT ISANG SAGLIT, BAKIT ‘DI TOTOHANIN and TILL THERE WAS YOU. All their movies were big hits, proving the duo’s appeal.

Ironically, however, their biggest success came not on the big screen, but via the teleserye SA PUSO KO, IINGATAN KA where they played star-crossed lovers Jordan and Patricia.

Soon enough, the fine line dividing the reel from the real blurred very quickly. Helped along by their fans (who wanted to see them end up together) and by the fact that they worked with each other on a daily basis in SA PUSO KO, rumors of a real-life romance began to grow. The fact that they looked good together physically didn’t hurt either.

Despite the widespread belief that it was a case of art imitating life, Piolo and Judy Ann cleverly kept both the fans and the movie press guessing. No denials nor confirmations were forthcoming.